Felix Adriani L, Penno Suzane M, Bezerra Francisco F, Mourão Paulo A S
Laboratório de Tecido Conjuntivo, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho and Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-913, Brazil.
Glycobiology. 2025 Jan 16;35(2). doi: 10.1093/glycob/cwae098.
Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (FCS) is a unique polysaccharide, first described nearly four decades ago, and found exclusively in sea cucumbers. It is a component of the extracellular matrix, possibly associated with peculiar properties of the invertebrate tissue. The carbohydrate features a chondroitin sulfate core with branches of sulfated α-Fuc linked to position 3 of the β-GlcA. FCSs from different species of sea cucumbers share a similar chondroitin sulfate core but the structure of the sulfated α-Fuc branches varies significantly. The predominant pattern consists of a single unit of sulfated α-Fuc, though some species exhibit branches with multiple α-Fuc units. This comprehensive review focuses on four major aspects of FCS. Firstly, we describe the initial approaches to elucidate the structure of FCS using classical methods of carbohydrate chemistry. Secondly, we highlight the impact of two-dimensional NMR methods in consolidating and revealing further details about the structure of FCS. These studies were conducted by various researchers across different countries and involving multiple species of sea cucumbers. Thirdly, we summarize the biological activities reported for FCS. Our survey identified 104 publications involving FCS from 42 species of sea cucumbers, reporting 10 types of biological activities. Most studies focused on anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities. Finally, we discuss future perspectives for studies related to FCS. These studies aim to clarify the evolutionary advantage for sea cucumbers in developing such a peculiar fucosylated glycosaminoglycan. Additionally, there is a need to identify the enzymes and genes involved in the metabolism of this unique carbohydrate.
岩藻糖基化硫酸软骨素（FCS）是一种独特的多糖，近四十年前首次被描述，且仅在海参中发现。它是细胞外基质的一个组成部分，可能与无脊椎动物组织的特殊性质有关。这种碳水化合物具有一个硫酸软骨素核心，硫酸化α-岩藻糖分支连接到β-葡糖醛酸（β-GlcA）的3位。来自不同海参种类的FCS具有相似的硫酸软骨素核心，但硫酸化α-岩藻糖分支的结构差异很大。主要模式由单个硫酸化α-岩藻糖单元组成，不过一些种类表现出带有多个α-岩藻糖单元的分支。这篇综述聚焦于FCS的四个主要方面。首先，我们描述了使用经典碳水化合物化学方法阐明FCS结构的初步方法。其次，我们强调二维核磁共振方法在巩固和揭示FCS结构更多细节方面的影响。这些研究由不同国家的众多研究人员进行，涉及多种海参。第三，我们总结了报道的FCS的生物活性。我们的调查确定了104篇涉及42种海参FCS的出版物，报道了10种生物活性。大多数研究集中在抗凝和抗血栓活性上。最后，我们讨论了与FCS相关研究的未来前景。这些研究旨在阐明海参产生这种特殊岩藻糖基化糖胺聚糖的进化优势。此外，需要确定参与这种独特碳水化合物代谢的酶和基因。
